Bastrop County

LANGUAGE

The Census asks questions about language use at home to locate groups of people who speak a language other than English. Their isolation or integration into a primarily English speaking community can be determined by their ability to speak English proficiently.

Language Spoken at Home, 1990-2000

1990

2000

Number

Percent

Number

Percent

Only English

29,330

83.03%

41,574

77.74%

Spanish

5,185

14.68%

10,863

20.31%

Other Indo-European*

724

2.05%

747

1.40%

Asian Language**

67

0.19%

148

0.28%

Other

18

0.05%

143

0.27%

Total Population Age 5+

35,324

100.00%

53,475

100.00%

Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000

Language Spoken at Home:

Number

Percent

Spanish

4,347

40.02%

Other Indo-European*

176

23.56%

Asian Language**

75

50.68%

Other Language

33

23.08%

Total

4,631

8.66%

Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990

Language Spoken at Home:

Number

Percent

Spanish

2,161

41.68%

Other Indo-European*

192

26.52%

Asian Language**

36

53.73%

Other Language

0

-

Total

2,389

6.76%

* "Other Indo-European" excludes English and Spanish. "Indo-European" is not synonymous with "European." French, German, Hindi, and Persian are all classified as Indo-European. Hungarian, on the other hand, is lumped into "Other Language."

** "Asian Language" includes languages indigenous to Asia and Pacific islands areas that are not also Indo-European languages. Chinese, Japanese, Telugu, and Hawaiian are all classified here.

Also note that ability to speak English "very well" is based on the self-assessment of those responding to Census questions, not on a test of language ability.